I’ve conducted many interviews with authors, and one or two asked if I would ever do one on myself, besides the several that others have done on me. Using the questions I normally ask others, I conducted the interview with myself, answering each question objectively and without filter. I hope you enjoy it!
Tell us a little about who you are.
I am the second youngest of a family of ten siblings. Four of my sisters are or were nurses, while two of my brothers and I were teachers. I was in education for 47 years as a teacher, coach, counselor, and administrator, but I retired this June. I will only sub here and there from now on.
What was it that made you decide you had a story to tell and to become an author?
In sixth grade, Sr. Josephe’ Marie had what she called ‘Story Starters’ where were three or four paragraphs on an index card. The idea was that if we were done with a test or seat work, we could take one card from her desk and finish the story. No credit was given, but she would critique it for us. I ate it up! That was one of my favorite memories from elementary school. Much later in life in 1987, I wrote a short story, Dusty and Me, that was published in a magazine. The writing bug bit me, but it wasn’t until 2014 when my first book was published. Since then, I average one book every year, for a total of nine. I’m currently working on my tenth.
As an author or writer, what sets you apart from others?
I write in a popular genre: thriller-crime-mystery, but I am different from most everyone else because the reader can expect more from me than oozing blood, bullets flying, dead bodies, and car chases. Each of my books feature a group of cops and FBI, along with a patchwork family of seven adopted boys. They each have baggage, some of it small, some of it quite large, and this baggage interferes with their lives. They are woven into each case in both large and small ways. So readers get not only a traditional thriller-crime-mystery, but a coming-of-age story embedded within.
How do ideas for your stories present themselves? How do you know what story lines to follow and which to ignore?
Oh my gosh, many different ways. The news, the newspaper, the internet. TV shows and movies. Conversations with others. Listening in on conversations kids have with each other and with adults. Usually, one or more different ideas occur out of nowhere and a story idea is born.
What genre do you write, and why?
I write in the thriller-crime-mystery genre because it is my favorite to read. My go-to authors are James Patterson, David Baldacci, John Sandford, Michael Connelly, and Stephen King. When I pick up one of their books, I’m lost in the world they create living amongst their characters. I only hope I do the same for readers when they pick up one of my books.
Besides writing and telling a good story, do you have any other talents?
Back in the day, I was an athlete- football, mostly. I was also in school plays and in a music organization in high school. I was drummer and lead singer of a rock and roll band playing covers of 60s songs, and even cut a demo for a recording company, but it didn’t go anywhere because I didn’t write my own music. As a principal, instead of giving a principal’s address at commencement, I would pick a song that depicted the senior class or a song that held an important truth I wanted to impart, and I would sing it to them. Years later, I have kids who were my former graduates or their parents come up to me and talk about “their song” that I sang at their commencement. It’s a cool memory for them.
If you were to name one or two books that you deem unforgettable and that had a major impact on you, what would they be, and why?
My two favorite books of all-time are Lord of the Flies by William Golding and The Stand by Stephen King. I think I’ve read both over three or four times. There is one other book by King, Different Seasons which is a book of his novellas. In it is a story, The Body which is a coming-of-age story about four boys on a journey to find the body of a kid their age who was struck by a train. The movie, Stand By Me is based on this story. The three of them together gave me a background for my coming-of-age thread in my books, as much as my counseling and psychology background did.
What authors do you read regularly? Why?
Patterson, for his storytelling ability; Baldacci, for his ability to capture suspense and mystery; Sandford, for his economy of words in description and storytelling; and King, for his ability to create scene and atmosphere, along with his ability to create characters.
If you were to have dinner with 5 individuals living or dead, who would they be and why?
I would have two tables. One would be James Patterson, Stephen King, David Baldacci, John Sandford, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. I enjoy their writing and would learn a lot from them.
At the other table would be singers and songwriters. Carole King, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and Steve Earle. I love their music, the stories they put into song, their ability with lyrics and music.
What is your writing routine? When you write, do you plan or outline ahead or are you a “pantser”?
Mostly, I am a pantser. I get an idea and I begin writing, allowing the characters to take me where they want to go. However, when I get to about the midway point, I will write out plot points to use or consider. I write them in no particular order, and either use them or not. At least I have an idea of what I want to write about. I usually don’t know the ending of the story until late in my writing, but in my latest Fan Mail, I knew what the ending would be, what would be said, and what the action would be. At the midway point, I merely wrote to that ending.
When writing, how much do you read? Do you read in or out of your genre?
The amount varies because the more into my writing I get, I concentrate solely on that. I will read mostly in my genre, with a few nonfiction pieces thrown in.
Is there something you set out to do, but somehow, it didn’t work out for you? (In writing, or something else you felt was important to you at the time?)
My interest in music didn’t leave me with much choice after I was rejected. My parents never encouraged me to pursue it, because they saw singing and entertaining as not reliable or life-sustaining. I think I gave up too soon. Sadly!
What tips would you give to new or even experienced writers?
Read! As Stephen King says, (paraphrasing badly), without reading, you don’t have the tools to write. I’ve said that reading is to writing as weightlifting is to athletics. You can’t have one without the other. Pick up a copy of On Writing by Stephen King. You will find it a useful guide and you will come to rely on it.
How did you “teach” yourself to write or did it just come naturally? What lessons would you pass on to others?
While I took creative writing courses in high school and college, along with a good dose of literature courses, I also studied scriptwriting after grad school when I became serious about writing. I think writing can be learned, and the more you write, the better you become. A good writer is an observer of life- a writer has to be aware of others and the situations, circumstances and setting one is in.
How do you handle a negative critique?
Not well. I think it is human nature to look at ten reviews, nine of which are positive, and one negative, and dwell on the negative one. When I was a principal, at the beginning of one year, I held a professional development session where I put a black dot on a perfectly clean white board. I then asked the teachers to describe what they saw. Most everyone dwelt on the black dot. No one mentioned the clean white board. For me, the black dot represents the negative review. I am getting better at it, but honestly, I’m still bad at accepting it.
Is there a type of writing/genre that you find difficult to write? Why?
Comedy and romance. While there is both comedy and romance in my writing, I don’t think I could write either effectively as an entire book. Besides, I’m not interested in either.
How important are the elements of character, setting, and atmosphere to a story, and why?
All three are important, but of the three, character is the most important. My characters drive my story. The books I choose to read are character driven. A well-written character can define setting and atmosphere, and setting and atmosphere are inherent in a good character, because they move, talk, and act within both setting and atmosphere.
Do you see yourself in any of the characters you create? How/Why?
Is there an unforgettable or memorable character that will not leave your head, either of your own creation or from a book you’ve read?
I am partly in each of my characters, except for the antagonists (thankfully), but no one character is me. If pushed, I would say Brian Evans and his adoptive dad, Jeremy, are most like me.
Besides Brian Evans in my books, who is conflicted, but warm, sensitive and kind, Fenny Bate in the book, Ghost Story, gave me nightmares. Seriously! The “Walking Dude”, Randall Flagg, in The Stand, is purely evil.
Tell us about your most recent book.
My newest book, Fan Mail is about an obsessed fan who is ignored. This fan writes progressively disturbing and threatening letters to three of the boys, who are in a county-rock band that is becoming famous. They ignore the letters to their detriment, and the threats in the letters, along with a car bomb, causes so much stress on the family that the boys’ father has a heart attack, and finger pointing leads to damaged relationships. This damage threatens to pull this close-knit family apart. Brian, who is going through his own inner demons, puts his life on the line to keep his family together.
How did you come up with the concept?
I came up with the idea of an obsessed fan by watching teen boys and girls obsess over this actor, this musician or singer. I asked myself the question, what happens when admiration becomes obsession? Fan Mail was born from that question.
How did you come up with the title?
It comes from the story itself.
From your book, who is your favorite character? Who is your least favorite character? Why?
Brian and his adopted brothers, Michael, Brett and Billy, are my favorites. Each carries his own baggage, but each has a good, loving heart. Brian, more than the others, cares about and sees the importance of family and the connections the relationships have within the family as important and worth keeping- even to his own detriment.
The Book Description is as follows:
A barrage of threatening letters, a car bomb, and a heart attack rip apart what was once a close-knit family of adopted brothers. Randy and Bobby, along with fellow band member and best friend, Danny, receive fan mail that turns menacing. They ignore it, but to their detriment. The sender turns up the heat. Violence upends their world. It rocks the relationship between the boys and ripples through their family, nearly killing their dad.
As these boys turn on each other, adopted brother Brian flashes back to that event in Arizona where he nearly lost his life saving his brothers. The scars on his face and arms healed, but not his heart.
Would he once again have to put himself in harm’s way to save them? And if faced with that choice, will he?
Fan Mail is a multi-layered coming-of-age story about a family of adopted brothers, embedded in a gripping thriller that will keep the reader guessing who is behind the letters and the car bomb, and fearing one or more of the boys may die before the culprit is found.
I hope you enjoyed the interview. I would love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to use the comment section below. As always, thank you for following me on my writing journey!
Links to the book:
Barnes & Noble Link: https://bit.ly/3CRNHya
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eNgSdS
Black Rose Writing Link: https://www.blackrosewriting.com/thrillers/fanmail
Book Trailer for Fan Mail:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/MS5VjTzCvM4
Literary Titan: https://wp.me/p3cyvH-dj5
Social Media Contact:
Author Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.blog
Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Joseph.Lewis.Author
Instagram at: https://www.Instagram.com/joseph.lewis.author
Amazon at: http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Lewis/e/B01FWB9AOI /
Blog at: https://www.simplethoughtsfromacomplicatedmindsortof.com
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